Supplemental DEA income is just one of the reasons to continue the drug war

Via TalkLeft — Drug agents mishandled seized cash, audit finds

WASHINGTON – Drug Enforcement Administration agents routinely disregarded agency rules on the handling of seized cash, jeopardizing hundreds of millions of dollars taken in drug raids, a Justice Department review found.
In an audit published Friday, Justice Department Inspector General Glenn A. Fine examined thousands of seizures between October 2003 and November 2005.
Fine’s report states that drug agents rarely counted the cash they took, often didn’t provide receipts for seized money, rarely recorded the seizures in agency ledgers and often didn’t ask their colleagues to witness their counting and handling of the money.

Unintentionally humorous line in the piece:

The lack of internal controls over the seized cash leads to accusations of theft by the agents, the report states.

Leads to accusations of theft? Yes, the most important thing is that the public not suspect that you’re stealing the money.